


Giving up

by yoongsmoons



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Orchestra, Klance Week, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-06-28 22:05:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15716010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoongsmoons/pseuds/yoongsmoons
Summary: orchestra! Klance auCompeting for first chair has never been an easy task, especially when deciding between the head-to-head violinists, Keith and Lance.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time posting my works on ao3, I hope it goes well.   
> :)

**-Chapter 1-**

 

 

 

 

 

Taking one last glimpse at his schedule, the raven-haired boy sauntered to his third class of the day. The only class he had actually been looking forward to; orchestra. Twisting the handle of the door that lead to his somewhat-happiness, he entered the room and was almost instantly overwhelmed with the sound of a familiar chatty voice.

“yes, hello! I'm your teacher for the year! Hi! How's it going? Oh, I love your blouse- y’know, my great grandmother had one just like it. Ah, pops never liked it though, what a shame..”

The boy grinned as he approached the conductor, holding onto the strap of his bag with one hand while the other held the handle of his instrument’s case.

“Coran, nice to see you haven't retired yet.”

“Keith, great to see you again! Haven't grown an inch I see..” The red head chuckled as he gestured for him to take a seat. “anyhow, I haven't retired yet because of a certain reason.”

A warm smile rose on coran’s lips as he stared at his..well, favorite student. _(don't tell lance)_

“that being?” Keith arched a brow suspiciously, awaiting his teacher's response.

“I need to see who earns that chair before I retire, silly.” Coran directed a slender finger toward the chair beside Keith, chuckling curiously as he did so.

“funny, I don't remember there being any competition for the chair anyway” Keith took the seat, a cocky smirk overtaking his face before the sound of a rambunctious teen entering ruined it.

“hello, ladies and gents! What's up Amelia?” _“my name is Aleena-”_

“-yo, my man, Keith!”

“oh god.” he grumbled, ducking his head low in hopes of diverting the attention away from himself, unfortunately not making any difference to lance though.

“Keith, the one, the only...wow, didn't expect you to return to orchestra after last year. Considering you kept complaining about the music we were playing, something about it “not being your type” ?”

“I don't complain, Lance. I was simply making it clear that-”

“- yeah don't care. Anyway, what are you doing in my seat?”

Keith glanced up at the male, instantly regretting taking the course again but immediately remembering that he needed to take this class. It was his only way of keeping himself sane. Making music was his passion, _playing the violin was his passion._

“your seat? Since when is this your seat?” He snapped, watching the other intently as he took another chair and set it to the right of him. This only bunking Keith down to second chair.

“since forever” Lance answered smugly. “are we really going to have this argument again? We've gone over this several times Keith. I'm first chair, you're second, plain and simple.”

“coran, there has to be something I can do to be first, can't you test us or something?” Keith questioned desperately. Gaining the attention of their teacher, Keith sunk back into his seat when he gave a small shake of the head.

“Keith, Lance, it's the beginning of the year- the first day of senior year for you two. I can judge you both by past experience but that wouldn't be fair to the other students..let them have a chance.” The two boys widened their eyes upon hearing his words, both sputtering out incoherent words until it eventually came out in unison,

“W-WHAT?”

“for now, you'll both be seated at the back. Until I decide where everyone belongs, I'll be hearing no bickering from you two, got it?” Coran warned, earning a resentful groan from the two before they moved to their designated seats.

“alrighty! Time to get to know each other!” He announced once the room had filled up with some familiar and unfamiliar faces.

 

 

 

 

 

**| | |**

 

 

 

“I'm telling you Hunk, that jerk is gonna be the death of me!” Lance huffed, leaning against the wooden table as he watched his best friend practically inhale his lunch.

“sounds like he's out to get you, or the chair..most likely the chair.”

“the dude’s been out for my chair since the sixth grade! Sixth grade, Hunk!”

“wow, he must really want that chair then. Or maybe he's just using this as a way to get closer to you?” Hunk suggested before chomping down on his sandwich.

“what!? No way! He would never, he doesn't even..he doesn't even _like_ me! That's the thing, I've tried making something work out between us..maybe a hookup or two, but he rejects me every time!” Lance groaned.

“I mean- we're friends and all, but if I were to see you in _that_ way I don't think I'd want just a hookup either. People look for commitment now in days, not just a fling.”

“you know those type of relationships never work out for me. The other person always ends up dumping me for one thing or another..” He sulked, eyes wandering over to the nearby table that Keith sat at with his own group of friends.

“don't beat yourself up, buddy. That perfect guy or gal will come along sooner or later, they'll love you for who you are and see your flaws as just another reason to love you!” Hunk assured as he passed him a box of apple juice, poking the straw in for him before guiding it to lance’s lips.

“take a sip, it'll brighten your day.”

“I don't deserve you.” Lance frowned, taking the juice box and taking a sip as told. “You're too nice to me, be a dick like everyone else in this school.”

“and why would I do that? If I lose you I literally have no one else to talk to. Who else would I get to complain to about my bass struggles?” Hunk pouted, receiving a soft laugh from Lance.

“I really need to get first chair though..if I don't-”

“- your mom gets disappointed in you and you're forced to try harder when you secretly hate playing the violin..” Hunk finished for him, which made Lance purse his lips in a pained manner.

“exactly.” he murmured before exhaling deeply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**| | |**

 

 

 

 

 

“and so I took one look toward my right, and guess who I see?”

“who?”

“Lance _fucking_ Mcclain, can you believe it!? That little fuckboy is back to take my chair! And coran did nothing about it!!”

“Keith, you do know that you're not the only violinist in the room right? Lance may be your competition but Coran had no reason to make you first chair right off the bat.” Shiro, Keith's brother explained with a slight frown.

“but he should! He knows how good I am, even if that talentless piece of shit-”

“-woah woah woah, calm your tits dude. Why are you so angry?” pidge, a rather strong acquaintance of Keith paused.

“When is he _not_ angry?” Matt, Pidge’s brother chuckled.

“true.”

“I'm pissed off because of that-” Keith turned his body around in his seat to point to Lance, who was a few lunch tables away from them. “-idiot right there!”

“pointing is rude, Keith.” shiro reminded, waving back at Lance who had noticed their stares and flipped Keith off.

“I swear I'm going to get that chair if it's the last thing I do.” Keith grunted, angrily taking a bite out of his apple.

“I, for one, suggest you move over to the second violins. Almost half of the damn orchestra moved over to first violins and left like, three of us. It's sad, really.” Pidge mumbled.

“hell no, I'm not going to lower my rank even more! I'm a first violin who deserves that chair- _**first chair!**_ ” Slamming his fists down onto the table, Keith shouted loud enough to attract the attention of his peers in the cafeteria.

“what?!” He snapped at a girl who had stared for too long, causing her to look away frantically.

“Keith, I've heard you play, you're good. Just let coran decide who's best, and even if you do get second chair, think of it as a good thing. At least you're still in the front” Shiro smiled.

“Oh what would you know? You're just a stupid band student who hits a stick against a drum all day, making nothing but ruckus by tapping away annoyingly! Who wants to listen to that!? Huh?!”

“wow, rude..I take pride in my drumming skills you know.” Shiro said quietly, lowering his head in shame.

“shit, sorry..I didn't mean to say that. Heck, Band is honestly better than orchestra which is the main reason why we're always hating each other..it's jealousy, it gets to us sometimes.” Keith admitted.

 

“so you admit it?”

 

“what?”

 

“band is better than orchestra?”

 

“n-no..”

 

“you just said it!”

 

“I WAS MAKING YOU FEEL BETTER!”

 

“were you though?” shiro smirked knowingly.

 

“shut up.” Keith hissed as he shrugged his backpack on, standing up from his seat to throw away his trash before heading to his next class. 

 

 


	2. Enemies

There- sitting there, lips twisted up into a wicked smile, was Lance. _Gosh_ \- how Keith had the sudden urge to just punch that grin straight off his face. Unfortunately, Keith’s violin was forced to take the pain instead. He twisted the pegs of his instrument rougher than ever, eliciting the strong rings of the untuned strings as he cursed under his breath. Only until the poor violin rang out in surrender did the boy stop. He gawked at the thin metal wire, hanging loosely from the wooden object as it fell into his palm.

 

Coran, being far from interested in what the student had been doing, was deeply invested in some unnecessary conversation with another teacher just outside of the classroom. Which in return, only made the male sweat with panic. His fingers trembled while they managed to weave out the broken string, taking this time to allow his anxiety to settle in.

_He just broke it. He broke his violin string. How will he pay for a new one? What will he play now? If Coran doesn't have a spare.. Lance will take up the first chair. No. No no no-_

 

“Yo, mullet”

The boy snapped his neck to the side, only to find the familiar Cuban boy staring straight at him. Surely he hadn't meant any harm from doing so, but Keith felt the need to shove him away due to their close distance. And he did. _Hard._

“what the fuck?” lance hissed as he stood up from the ground, brushing away the invisible dust from his jeans. Keith chewed on his lip, nearly drawing blood before apologizing.

“s-sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I just-”

“You just meant to shove me to the ground when I was trying to help you? You're a dick, man.”

“I said I was sorry!” Keith cried. “why were you so close to me in the first place?”

The tan boy gestured toward the instrument in his hands, eyes focused on the fallen string. “your A-string popped off. You're lucky it didn't bust the winding or else you'd really have a reason to cry.”

 

Keith blinked at him for a few moments, puzzled at his words before realizing that he was, indeed, crying. He gasped and quickly wiped away the tears that had managed to escape. “anyways, I'll help you put it back on if you'd like.”

“w-why?” The ravenette muttered through a pout. “you hate me.”

“ah- hate is a strong word, I don't like strong words. You know, like, love and stuff- yeah, no. It's more like I very much dislike your personality.” Lance assured with a confident smile. “So what do you say? Hand it over, I fix it, you act like it never happened?”

 

Before Keith could even speak, his mind did the work for him, reaching out to place his precious violin in the other's hands. His eyes flickered between Lance's nimble fingers and his instrument, watching intently as he did exactly what he was supposed to; fixing it.

 

Once the male was finished tuning, he handed it back to its proper owner with a faint grin. “good?”

“yeah, thanks.” Keith said as he returned to looking over his sheet music.

“great, now if you wouldn't mind getting out of my chair-”

“you're still on that crap?” He tutted. “Just let it go, Lance. It's my chair, and always will be.”

“I just did you a huge favor!” lance bickered. “instead of allowing you to have the shittiest day ever, I fixed your violin! That's got to at least earn me some team leader points, no?”

“No. It's called being a kind person with some common sense.” Keith admitted bluntly, unaware of the sheer meaning behind his own words until Lance giggled. “I'm a kind person, huh?”

“What? No- I didn't mean-”

“ah uh ah, you said it and that's final. You think I'm a kind person.”

“you're insufferable” he said with a long and exaggerated exhale. “how about we just wait until coran gives us a proper seating arrangement, and until then, I sit in my seat. First chair. First violin.”

“literally, choke.”

“hm, maybe.” 

 

 

**| | |**

 

 

“He's so weird, Hunk! I told him to choke and he said _‘hm, maybe’,_ what the hell does that mean?!”

“sounds like Keith has quite the impact on you, buddy. You should come clean with your truth, maybe then he would give up the chair.” Hunk advised before slurping away at the milkshake his girlfriend, Shay, had made for him just that morning.

“can you stop sucking on that straw for a second and listen to what you just said?” Lance barked. “Sorry, it's just that Shay made this for me and she said there was a special ingredient for me to figure out- said it starts with an L and ends with an E..maybe Lime?”

The boy simply grunted as he leaned his head against his palms. “it's love, Hunk. The ingredient is love”

“oh! That makes a lot of sense, awe..cute” Hunk chuckled, proceeding to sip away at the straw.

“I don't get it. He's so nice and soft one second, and the next, he's a dick! I helped him with his freaking string and what does he do to repay me? He tells me he's keeping the chair! Why hunk, why??”

“because he deserves it?” Hunk felt like cowering away in that moment as soon and he noticed Lance's dark eyes piercing through him. He was _terrifying_ when he did so.

“who's side are you on, Hunk? Because right now I'm feeling betrayed!”

“I'm just saying that maybe he deserves the chair just as much as you do. You're both amazing at playing, and just as you have your reason for wanting that chair, he could have one too.”

Lance stared at him blankly for a moment or two before standing up, startling the people around their lunch table as the chair scraped against the tile floor. “I need some air.”

“lance, don't be like this-”

“like what? Huh? And to think you'd be there for me, when in reality, you- you don't care!” The male shouted before dumping his tray and storming off campus.

“Lance!”

 

**| | |**

 

 

“Lance ”

“who?”

“Lance. He just ran off campus.” Keith restated slowly as he watched the boy bolting past other students.

"and you care..why? I thought you hated him?”

“I don't _hate_ him,”

“No, hate is a strong word and Lance doesn't like strong words” Pidge grinned. “right?”

“shut up. Why were you listening into our conversation?”

“dude, the both of you were speaking so loud, how could I not?” She scoffed. “plus, with you crying..I was so concerned that I stopped playing my cello during ‘smooth criminal’.”

“wow, you must've been really concerned” Matt spoke from beside her.

“indeed.” Pidge sighed before focusing her attention back on the worrisome male. “So what are you going to do, be his knight in shining armor and check up on how the damsel in distress is doing?”

Keith sent her a dagger-like glare while taking one last bite of his apple before tossing the core away. “no..he can figure it out on his own. Whatever he's going through shouldn't involve me.”

“and if it is?” Shiro questioned with quirked brows. He hadn't meant it seriously, but by the way the younger's expression seemed to drop, he had obviously taken it to heart. “Keith, I was kidding. Why would he-”

“I'm gonna go on a quick walk on campus, I'll see you around” Keith muttered as he slung his bag over his arm and as if on a mission, he jogged off and out the cafeteria doors.

“Keith!” Shiro called hopelessly.

“he's going to check on lance, isn't he?” Pidge sighed.

“yup.” Matt replied.

 

**| | |**

 

 

Angry grey clouds of built up storm rolled in above the city, casting a dark shadow over the sprinting boy as his eyes searched frantically. He finally paused as his gaze fell upon a deep blue blob, slumped over carelessly with their hood hiding everything they prevented from being visible to the world.

 

Keith grew curious as he approached him slowly, peering his head down to be met with the other's crystal-like eyes. Despite the swollen red look to them, they were still as beautiful as ever. Keith enjoyed those few seconds of staring into them before deciding it was becoming odd, and jerked away to stand directly in front of him.

“you're crying, why?” He asked with a raspy voice.

“What's it to you?” lance sniffed and turned his head to the side, attempting to hide the fact that the tears wouldn't cease. “I-I’m not crying, by the way. It's just- um- allergy season, you know?”

 

Keith hummed in agreement but took a seat beside him anyway. The silence between them was eerily awkward before Lance’s sharp tone ripped through it. “look, can you just leave me alone? You're not making this any better and- and if you're thinking about telling your friends about how much of a cry-baby I am f-for crying a bit..then do it! Go ahead, be my guest.”

 

The ravenette blinked a few times, mouth agape as he was at a loss for words. What could he say after that? They weren't friends, nor were they anywhere near being good acquaintances, in fact- their relationship consisted of pure rivalry.

“woah, what?” Keith finally said with a breathy laugh. “listen, Lance, I don't know what you think of me, but I'm not an asshole. I wouldn't expose you for being human. Everyone needs a good cry sometimes, and despite us being..whatever we are-”

“enemies. We're enemies.”

“Right. Enemies.” he sighed before continuing. “I'm not here to judge you.”

“and what _are_ you here for? Don't you have to go play your violin and beat me at everything? I must be wasting your precious time, right? You can go.”

“Lance, is that what this is about? The chair? I already told you before, Lance, I have to be in that chair-”

“YEAH? WELL SO DO I!”

Keith flinched at his raised voice, but decided to keep quiet. The tan boy chewed at his lip anxiously before looking up at the other through his wet lashes, ignoring the way Keith's eyes seemed to soften by the second.

 

“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just- I don't know..I don't think I'm good enough. Do you ever get that feeling where you feel like the world is a pair of soul-burning eyes that wait for you to make one wrong move before they scold you? They scold you for the most ridiculous of reasons. But you take it anyway.

Your blood wants to boil, your hands get the urge to punch them in the face and scream your lungs out to allow yourself to have a voice, but- but you don't. You can't. You're afraid to upset them more. And then you'd really become a failure.

A failure that they unfortunately have to label as their son. You try your best to make yourself of use; taking extra credit classes..being pretty good at the violin, but not good enough. No. You'll never be good enough because they sit in that crowd on our concert nights and see you sitting in second chair. Not first. Second. And you realize something- you realize that you'll always be second. And to them, you're last.”

Lance explained softly, ending with a light and sarcastic chuckle.

 

“T-That's why you want the chair so bad..” Keith muttered as guilt had begun to rise within him. “Lance, I really didn't know-”

“no one knows. No one. Except for Hunk and I. And now you- I guess.” Lance groaned as he felt a single drop of rain soak into his skin, indicating that a storm was to come. “and it'll stay that way, alright? Don't tell anyone, please.”

The shorter of the two took notice of the way Lance's eyes practically begged for him to never speak about the current events. So he doesn't dare to bring it up any further. Instead, he nods curtly and proceeds to stare at the ground before him. It was his fault all along.

Instead of giving him the damn chair, he kept it for himself, for a selfish reason. Keith gripped onto his hood, tugging it over his head as his vision grew blurry with his own set of tears. His cheeks grew damp, perhaps with his tears or the rain.

He goes with the latter.

 

The both of them stayed silent as they enjoyed the calming sound of the light drizzle that soon became a hard shower of rainwater.

It was raining -no- _pouring_ outdoors, and yet there were the two boys, seated on a nearby bench as the rain water flooded beneath their soles, washing away the remnants of their pain and guilt, combined.

 

 

**| | |**

 

 

There's a roaring wave of rumors surfacing the school the next morning. Rumors are toxic, emotionally dreadful, and Lance doesn't have the time nor patience to be caught up in one. Unfortunately, he's quick to learn that he may be the one behind those negative whispers.

“you're dating the band captain’s little brother, how could you not expect this to be happening?” Lance heard one of the cheerleaders murmur towards him, which caused him to cock a brow in suspicion.

“dating?”

“You and Keith. Everyone saw you two yesterday, sitting in the rain and acting quite close, no? Shiro is the band captain, which means Keith is just as high and mighty as he is.” The cuban male felt himself withering from the inside out, suddenly feeling as though all eyes were on him again. He didn't want this. He didn't want the attention, and sure as hell not when it involves a dating scandal.

“we're not dating! I swear! Keith is my enemy!” Lance blurted.

“that's not what we saw.” the girl grinned back as she stepped closer to the boy, only to be called back by another female's voice.

“Acxa, enough.” She whipped her head back to see their cheer captain glaring her down with a frown. “A-Allura, I didn't mean to-”

“go ahead and take this spare time as an opportunity to perfect your posture for the next performance.” Allura ordered firmly. “go on.”

“Allura, what is going on?” Lance asked worriedly as Allura led them through the busy crowds to reach a more quiet area. “they said I'm dating Keith, but I'm not! H-How do I make them stop?”

“For starters, you need to calm down and take a deep breath. This will all come to an end soon, don't worry. I have many sources who will be more than glad to help with getting these rumors settled into mere nothings.“ She explained sweetly. “Now it's all up to you with what you decide to happen after the chatting has died down. I suppose Keith assisted you with something yesterday afternoon? What really happened, Lance?”

“I had a tiny little mental breakdown..um..” he began with a wavering tone. “he helped me, Allura. Why would he help me if we're enemies?”

“Well, I may not know much about that boy, but from what I've heard from Shiro throughout the years is that he's really a sweetheart when it comes to being there for people. He's not as cold-hearted as everyone paints him out to be.”

His eyes fell to the ground in between them before sighing. “I know..but what should I do? What would you do?”

“You think of your relationship with him as a negative one, so why not flip whatever switch you have of him and- I don't know- change that image of the two of you?” Allura suggested kindly. “Now, that doesn't mean you should feed into the rumors and date him, but perhaps a friendship would be the best option?”

“I don't know,” Lance said as he ran a loose hand through his sleek brown hair. “I sort of enjoy the whole rival relationship we have.”

“that's fine, but don't take it to heart when you decide you would like more than what you have, and Keith rejects that idea.”

“what?”

“nothing. I'm late for practice, I'll text you later, alright?” Allura skipped away and waved until she found Romelle, and pecked her on the cheek until the were out of sight.

 

Lance shook his head as he arrived to his first class of the day, feeling his shoulders growing heavier than before as he pondered over Allura’s words from before. _“He's not as cold-hearted as everyone paints him out to be.”_

 

It's not true. Never. Lance would never believe those words, not even in a million years. Keith was a bully. A complete asshole. They were rivals..

Nothing more,

Nothing less.

 

 

Enemies. 


	3. Sweets

The rumor had been put down with the help of Allura and her _“sources”_ , and thanks to that, Lance moved on freely with his life. He found himself sitting in first chair just a day after the whole scandal had occurred. It was odd for him; claiming the one spot that he had been itching to sit in since the beginning of his high school journey, but he wasn't complaining. 

Nope. 

Not one bit. 

 

“why did you give it to me? Where's that attitude that I've learned to love?” 

“did you just say you  _ love  _ my attitude?” Keith questioned, clearly caught off guard as he was walking down the hallway, minding his business until Lance had leaped in front of him. 

“That's besides the point!” Lance nearly shouted before tugging on the other's sleeve, leading him to stand near one of the school's bathrooms.  

“You're letting me sit in first chair, so you're either playing a prank on me or you've decided you finally want to take me up on that hook-up offer” 

A sour expression formed on Keith's face as he shook his head at the other.                     “It's not a prank and I'm not looking for a hookup” 

“then you must like me” 

“ _ like you _ ? Who said that I like you?” 

“Well, to be quite frank with you, the whole school assumed that we were dating just a few days ago-” 

“which we're not. So If you'll excuse me, I have lunch to go eat.” 

He announced and swiveled on his heel. Although, he didn't get too far as Lance had a vice like grip on his wrist, jerking him back to him with his brows knitted in agitation. 

“answer me, Kogane.” Lance demanded, ignoring the way a few bystanders had stopped to listen in. 

“Listen, Lance, I'm only trying to be nice to you and right now, you're making it extremely difficult for me to do so.” 

“then  _ don't _ ! Stop being nice to me!” 

“and how would that benefit either of us?” 

“because-” Lance yelled before taking a death breath to calm himself. “because it's weird.” 

“how is that weird? You make no sense, Lance. You wanted the chair, I gave it to you. Now leave me alone.” 

“no.” 

“For fucks sake.” Keith grunted, never ceasing at attempting to writher out of his hold.  “just accept my generosity and stay away from me!” 

“I can't!” Lance beckoned. 

“why the hell not?!” 

“because I-” 

“Keith, what's the issue here?” 

Both of their gazes flew toward the taller male that had approached them, his stance a lot more aggressive than intended. 

“Shiro-” 

“You're hurting him, let go of his wrist.” Shiro said as he pointed to the already bruised flesh on his little brother's pale skin. 

“not until he explains the reason behind giving me the chair.”  Lance shot back. 

“I already told you, I did it out of the kindness of my heart!” 

“you're bluffing!” He responded and tightened his grip on him. “Just tell me!” 

“Let go, Lance! There's no need to hold onto him so hard!” The older ordered, anger beginning to erupt within him. 

“ _ fuck- _ what the fuck Lance!?” ﹰKeith cried as he continued to tug away. “Let go of me!” 

“Are you playing some sort of sick game with me? You're letting me have some spotlight before you come back in and decide to rip it all away?!” Lance yelled, now completely in his face as the smaller male shuddered beneath his intense glare.                             “Tell me, Keith! Tell me!” 

“what the hell are you talking about?!” 

“is it because I opened up to you?! Are you using this to have pity for me?” 

“You're hurting me!” Keith shouted before his older brother had interfered, allowing his fist to collide with his jaw. 

“SHIRO!” 

“WHAT THE HELL, MAN?” Lance hissed, holding onto the side of his face in pain. 

“WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?” 

“I TOLD YOU TO LET GO OF HIM.” 

Keith felt weak at this point, seeing the way a crowd of students had gathered around them to watch the scene unfold. He whimpered against his palm as he witnessed his older brother fighting off a furious Lance.              “L-LANCE!” He screamed before pulling his brother off and standing between the two.

“STOP!” 

“You're insane!” The boy scolded as he stood up from the ground. 

“you touch him one more time and I'll make sure you don't have a hand to grab him with!” Shiro said through gritted teeth. 

“Oh yeah? Like you?” Lance replied before realizing what he had truly said, instantly shaking his head as he heard the other students roaring with soft  _ “ooo's” _

“You're so dead-” Shiro stated, raising his arm to swing but it was immediately lowered again once a soft voice had called his name. He turned to see his boyfriend, Adam, standing by his side with fearful eyes. 

“he didn't mean it Shiro, let's just get out of here before you attract the administrator’s attention.” Adam suggested with a gentle tone, allowing him to relax before looking around at the others. “get to class!” 

Before Keith could speak another word to his brother, he was gone in the blink of an eye, holding onto his boyfriend for support as they made their way off campus. He glanced to his side to see Lance doubled over in pain once the crowd had disbanded. 

“Your brother is really protective isn't he?” Lance groaned. 

“he had no other choice. His temper is much better than mine until you harm someone he cares about. You just happened to trigger that.”  Keith replied and bent down to pick up Lance’s discarded bag.                              “come with me.” 

Lance sent him a weary glance, unsure of whether he was being serious or not. He soon came to the conclusion that he was, in fact, serious once Keith had gestured for him to follow him down the hall and towards an abandoned janitors closet-sized room 

 

Keith pushed the door open, letting it creak and hit the wall before entering the vacant space. The taller boy trailed behind hesitantly, carefully inspecting his surroundings before taking a seat on one of the medical beds. 

“It's so dusty and it smells like old people.” 

Lance chuckled to himself, ignoring the silent response Keith had given before trying again. 

“Did the nurses retire of old age?” 

“this isn't their office anymore. It's been renewed and is currently located near the counselors.” He huffed and proceeded to rummage through the worn down cabinets, in search of the proper materials. 

“they still have a ton of leftover supplies in here though, considering that they've had a raise in budget and can now afford newer medical necessities.”

“You know so much about them, why don't you become a nurse? Or a doctor- whatever.” 

 

At that, Keith stayed silent once again. Lance blew out a heavy breath and continued to watch the shorter male unpackage a few band-aids. The insides of his palms grew sweaty as he noticed a familiar liquid being poured onto a cotton swab, just before it was placed on a cut he was unaware of. 

“ouch! Wait-” 

“Let me get this over with, you big baby.” Keith grumbled as he rubbed the disinfectant around the wound.  “you're lucky he didn't cause a gash, then you'd need stitches.” 

“stitches?” Lance echoed nervously. 

“did I stutter?” He said back, causing the other to stay quiet. It was awkward, to say the least. 

Both of their breaths mingled with one another's due to the lack of distance between them as Keith leaned forward to focus on his cut. Lance tried not to make direct eye contact, but one way or another, his gaze had fallen onto them, scanning his pupils before traveling down to his thin and bitten-raw lips. 

The tan boy’s breath caught in his throat as he quickly noticed the other staring back at him. Seeming to be a bit taken back from the action, Keith attempted to move away and got merely a few inches of space before Lance latched onto his forearm, pulling him back in. 

This, of course, caused a sharp gasp to fall from the male's lips, but either way, Lance held on. 

“I'm sorry about your wrist, I wasn't really thinking at the time..” 

At this point, Keith had forgotten about the whole ordeal from just a few moments ago, but was instantly reminded as he recalled the event.  “It's fine,  I'm okay.” 

“It's bruised, you should at least put some ice on it.”  The taller frowned as he watched him shake his head in disagreement. 

“no. It doesn't need ice, it'll heal on its own. What does need some fixing though, is this issue between us.” 

“issue?” 

“Yeah, we may bump heads most of the time, but I think it'd be best if we took responsibility of our actions. You attacked me, Lance-”

“And I'm sorry for that. I truly am, to you and your brother” 

“You didn't have to bring my brother into this mess, he doesn't need to care for me in those ways. And none of this wouldn't have even happened if you had just accepted the damn chair when I gave it to you!”   Keith retorted. 

“I just wanted to know why. Why did you give it to me out of the blue like that? If you were me-” 

“Oh don't make this more difficult than it already is” Keith sighed with a roll of his eyes

“no, no- say you were me, in  _ my _ shoes, your enemy since middle school suddenly gives you the chance to be in the placement you've always strived to be in, what would you do? Wouldn't you want to know why they've had such a sudden change of heart?” 

Silence overwhelmed the room as Keith processed the scenario, allowing the guilt to sink in and grow into something more- _something worse_. 

“yeah, I guess.” He responded bluntly as he crossed his arms over his chest in a protective manner. 

“but I told you why. I gave it to you because I think you deserve it more than I do, and yes, it may have to do with what you told me-” 

“out of pity then?” 

“no.” Keith corrected, while keeping his eyes trained on his own. “out of honesty. You told me the truth, Lance, and I appreciate that. You may not love orchestra as much as you'd like, and you're only taking it for the pleasure of your parents, but you've got potential. You play well and I think you'd make a great leader.” 

The cuban boy smiled down at his wringing hands before nodding appreciatively.  “thanks.” 

“mhm.” He hummed before turning around to return the supplies. 

“I think we'd make a great team.” Lance responded truthfully.  “I could be a leader, but we make a team. Together.” 

“that's touching, nearly made me shed a tear there.”  Keith snickered. 

“way to ruin that moment.” He grunted as he stood from his spot and made his way to the door with the shorter. 

“what moment?” 

“that moment we just had. You know, our bonding moment?” 

“bonding? No, that didn't happen.” 

“it did! It was a bonding moment!”  Lance cried and flailed his arms around frantically. 

“nope. I don't know what you're talking about.” 

“Keith!” He beckoned as the said male walked away, only turning his head slightly to smirk. 

“Lance!” Keith mocked with a grin. 

“freaking loser..” the boy muttered, although the smile on his face never seemed to leave. Even after his final class, it was still there. 

_ Why was he smiling so much? _

 

 

 

  **| | |**

 

 

The two brothers had always met up after school to walk home together, but oddly enough, Keith found himself trotting through the school’s parking lot alone the following afternoon. He didn't mind his older brother’s sudden absence, considering what had happened just the other day, but it did irk him to know that he’d unfortunately have to travel home with no source of entertainment other than his phone- which was currently at its lowest battery life. 

He was silently sulking to himself when he heard the quiet calling of his name through the car horns of his fellow students. 

“Kogane!” 

Keith barely had the time to process anything before he noticed a car coming straight in his lane of contact. Frozen like a deer in headlights, the boy felt a shiver skim over his skin.  _ Was this finally his time to go? Had his prayers of death been granted? Should he move out of the way? The person driving would stop before then, right?  _

“Keith, what's up dude?” 

_ Oh. _

_ It's Lance.  _

The time seemed to return back to its normal speed as Keith stared blankly at the other male, revving the engine to create a deep growl of his blue mustang while grinning at him. 

 

“You scared the living shit out of me, you idiot!” Keith answered furiously before slapping a hand over his chest as he controlled his breathing.  “I thought you were going to run me over! I-I thought I was gonna  _ die _ !” 

Lance furrowed his brows at the feeling of his own heart racing as if  _ he  _ was the one who was afraid. _Maybe it was just the low rumbling of his car?_   “sorry?” He murmured wearily. 

“You should be.” The male scoffed with an adorable little pout that Lance couldn't help but coo at.  “why are you here anyway?”

“I came to ask you that.” Lance responded with a soft smile etched onto his lips.        “you usually walk with Shiro, why are you alone?” 

“because I wanted to walk alone.” Keith managed to rebuttal through his teeth.  “It's um- the weather is great today and I just wanted to soak it in, you know?”  

“right..” the tan boy chuckled as he unlocked his vehicle for the other to enter.   “come on, I'll take you home.” 

“oh thank god-” Nearly jumping at the offer, Keith scurried around the car to open the back door. Lance, However, kissed his own teeth at the action.  “come sit up front, I don't bite.” 

“You might as well since you literally fought my brother and I yesterday like some sort of savage animal”  Keith joked as he corrected himself to sit near him in the passenger seat. 

“aw come on, I thought we had already settled that?” 

“well you thought wrong” he replied while buckling in his seat belt.

“what can I do to make it up to you?” Lance asked and drove off into the road, vaguely remembering the way to the other's house from their childhood adventures together. 

“nothing.” 

“hm..what would fifth grade Keith want in exchange of forgiveness..”  He pondered aloud, which in return received a soft whack on the arm from him. 

“we don't speak of those times.” 

“chubby cheek Keith, what does he eat? Not food.. _ sweets” _

“shut up!” The boy screamed in embarrassment as he repeatedly punched his upper arm, making sure to at least leave  _ some _ bruising.  “I'm not into sweet things anymore. I've grown up, Lance.” 

“is that so?” The boy laughed. “well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?” 

“what are you doing?” Keith frowned as he watched him turn into a different street that was nowhere near his home.  “Lance, my house is that way-” 

“I know.” 

“I need to get home before Shiro starts worrying” 

“Relax, you have his number don't you? Just text him later. For now,” Lance hummed while making his way through the neat roads of the city, passing up a few shops along the way that made both of them rekindle the sweet memories of their childhood. 

“let's have some fun.” 

  
  
  
  
  


**| | |**  


  
  
  
  
  


“no, that's not right.” 

“Shiro-” 

“He's usually here by now, Adam. What if he's hurt? What if Lance decided to do something to him? God, it's all my fault!” 

“no it's not, just calm down. Come on, sit with me until he calls us back, okay? It's not your fault.” 

“You're right, it's not my fault” 

“You see? I'm telling you just need to-” 

Shiro turned around to narrow his gaze on his boyfriend, rage seeping through his skin as he laughed sarcastically. 

“It's all  _ your  _ fault! Because of you, I slept in and left my brother at school with some psychopath, who -for all I know- could be hurting Keith right about now! I left him! All alone to be here with  _ you _ !” 

“is that what you think? That I'm the one at fault?” 

“is it not true? Tell me Adam, were you not the one who brought me here after what happened and told me to get some rest instead of helping my little brother?” 

“it was for the best, Shiro! You were injured and needed to rest before you did something even worse!” 

“like what!? What could I have done that is worse than leaving my own brother with someone who could be causing him harm at this very moment!?” 

“He's a lot weaker than you are, Shiro. You could've hurt him more than what you had already done!” 

The two stared into each other's eyes as they heaved out heavy breaths. Their tempers were risen at this point, and Adam would be lying if he said he wasn't absolutely terrified under Shiro’s enraged stare.                       “what do you see me as? A monster?” 

“Shiro, what on earth are you talking-”

“do you even love me?” 

Adam’s eyes doubled in size as he reach out to cup his face, gently brushing the pads of his thumbs against his cheeks while nodding profusely. 

“yes, of course I do. I'm just- I don't want to see you get hurt or be involved in any trouble. I need you, only you.” 

“I'm sorry..I'm just worried about him..” 

“it's fine, my love. I'll text him again, alright?” 

“yeah.” Shiro sighed but continued to hold onto his hands, keeping him in place before pecking the corner of his lips lightly. 

“Thank you..” 

  
  
  


**| | |**

 

  
  
  


“I actually really love this..Like, who knew mint and chocolate could go together so well?” 

“whoever created this ice cream.” 

“true” Keith smiled as he took another bite out of his dessert, savoring each flavor. 

“What's next?” 

“well all we really have left to try is the cotton candy flavor, but I'm not really looking forward to that.” Lance groaned, rubbing at his already full stomach as he glanced over all of the empty sample cups of ice cream they had consumed. 

“It's going to be really sweet and I'm not about that diabetic life.” 

“right. Um..” 

“that doesn't mean you can't get it, Keith. Go ahead, on me.” 

“n-no, I really shouldn't be having so much. Thanks though.” He muttered sheepishly while quietly fishing for his wallet in his pocket. 

“No need to pay, I already did.” 

“what? But we didn't even-” 

“I work here.” Lance grinned. “I get free stuff, plus, we got the small sample size so..there isn't a charge anyways. Think of this as a free-of-charge kind of date” 

_ A date?  _

“oh” The shorter cleared his throat awkwardly as he felt himself growing warm. “c-can you take me home now?” 

“Oh, sure” 

The two of them seemed to be on their sugar highs as they trotted back to the taller's parked vehicle, taking a slightly longer time doing so due to all of the sweetness intruding their digestive systems. Keith groaned once he slipped into the passenger seat, hating the heavy feeling inside his stomach, and strangely- the one in his chest as well. 

“there's an article I read the other day-” Lance started as he, too, entered the car. 

“ _ You _ read articles? 

“You really have quite the knack for asking unnecessary questions.”  Lance replied bitterly before continuing.   “But yes, I do read articles. That's besides the point- what I wanted to say was that the article I read was about that park we used to go to as kids. Remember it? The one with the green slide you always came off of with Albert Einstein looking hair?” 

“O h god, of course I remember.” Keith chuckled. “What about it?” 

“it's closing for good this weekend.. I was thinking about going to take some photos of it for my photography class before they do away with it.”  Lance sighed. 

“nice.” the other mumbled as he fiddled with his thumbs atop his lap. “have fun, I guess.” 

“come with me.” lance blurted. 

“with you? For what?” 

“so we can- I don't know- bond over it? We can talk about the old times and maybe even be like we used to?” 

The taller male snapped his head at the sound of a forced laugh escaping the boy beside him.  He was confused by the action until he had faced him with glassy eyes. 

“I don't know if you remember anything of the past, but I do. You treated me like shit, Lance. You and-and your popular ass group of friends, Romelle and all of them! T-They were so  _ mean  _ to me, and you would just stand by and watch me get shoved down by them at that same park! Why? Why didn't you do something!?” 

“I  _ did _ do something!” Lance snapped. “why do you think they stopped? I did it! I told them to stop! I sat around and watched them do those things to you instead of becoming the issue. I wanted to help you, Keith. I did it to keep you alive and well!” 

“Oh yeah, and how did that go? All of those days  _ we  _ spent  _ together  _ on the playground after school, bandaging up  _ my  _ wounds because of  _ your stupid friends _ ! I thought you cared about me, Lance,  I really did.” 

“And I do!” He yelled, which in return made the car swerve to the right by the slightest, startling the male as they stared at the road ahead.  “I care about you, Keith. I don't know what the hell happened between us-” 

“You don't know? Haha, how funny. You really don't have a single clue of what you did?” 

“TELL ME THEN! TELL ME WHAT I DID WRONG!” 

“YOU LEFT ME!” Keith finally cried out, whimpering through his tears as he did so.    “I thought you'd be there for me whenever I needed it, but you left me! You left and never came back- not until that one orchestra period we had together in middle school. And even then, every time I tried to talk to you, you'd snap and treat me like utter shit! Do you know how that made me feel? I felt- I.. I felt like the once steady ground beneath me had crumbled into a million pieces and let me fall into a deep hole of just...loneliness.” 

It was a terrible decision on Keith's part. He shouldn't have brought up such a bitter topic, especially when they both know it was inevitable. There was nothing they could do other than stay silent and allow those regretful, yet meaningful words to soak in, creating an even more tense and suffocating cloud of air between them than before. And it wasn't until the car had begun to pull over that Keith noticed it was his time to go. It was time to shut and lock that final door the two had opened and leave it for the future to handle in another manner they should have sealed off beforehand. 

Keith's dainty and slim fingers had loosely wrapped around the handle, laying limp against the cooling surface before giving it a gentle tug. 

_Was this the end? Had their miserable attempts of coming together to conclude their feud gone to waste yet again? Is there even any point for an apology?_

“I was afraid,” at the sound of his voice, Keith had paused, having his eyes glued to his own hand. “I was afraid of what you'd say back when we were kids if..I told you my heart yearned for a little more than what we had-- If I had admitted I was feeling selfish for seeking every bit of your attention for myself.” 

A deep breath followed by an exasperated sigh fell from his lips before continuing.         “I still am- I'm still afraid. Keith, we used to be pretty good friends back then, back when we were all stupid kids and they would  _ bully  _ you. And please believe me when I say that I'm truthfully so sorry for what happened, and you're right, I could've done more to help you but how could I? You were so closed off even to the people you trusted the most-” 

“I trusted  _ you  _ the most out of all of them, Lance. It was you.” 

“I-I know, and I know you must be thinking that I'm an absolute jerk for leaving you but you have to just listen to me when I say that I really was afraid of what you'd say to that. To me.. having those feelings. We were close, maybe even  _ too  _ close, and that scared me. Hunk convinced me to leave you behind for my own well-being-- which is why i think of you as an enemy now -- because I knew it'd be one sided, and that would tear me-” 

“why would you assume that?” Keith barked a sharp laugh before sliding back into the leather seat, arms pinned to his chest as he craned his neck toward the taller male.    “even if I didn't feel the same-” 

“did you?” 

Keith blew out a long breath to compose himself. “even if I didn't feel the same,” he repeated.  “You didn't have to leave me behind like every other fling you have now.” 

“I'm aware of that now. I know.” Lance groaned while rubbing at his face frustratedly.  “I made a mistake that I regret immensely, but I need you to understand that I just couldn't take the risk of losing you over something so stupid”

“what you felt then and may feel now isn't stupid, Lance. It's normal to like someone in more than just a friendly way” 

“But not when they're your closest friend!” 

“yes, even then!” Keith argued back and cupped his thin face in his hands.  “Its fine.” 

“fine?” Lance whispered, far too hesitant to say anything else in fear of ruining the moment. 

“mhm, it's fine.”  

“what if I said that those feelings haven't left? T-That they never really faded?” 

Their eyes locked in an extremely focused stare before a smile reached up to Keith's eyes, his cheeks pinching up to turn them into the shape of thin crescent moons.    “then I'd say that it's still as fine as ever.”

“You don't hate me, do you?” Lance's brows scrunched together in worry as he began to sink further and further into the other's dark eyes, falling into an abyss of negative thinking before snapping himself out of it.  “after all I've done to you, do you still hate me?” 

“no.” 

“for real?” 

He answered with a simple shrug of his shoulders before letting his palms leave the boy's cheeks and rest atop the console in between them instead.                                       “I don't hate you now and I never have. I only tried to fit the role of your life-time enemy because I thought that's what you wanted.” 

“geez, I guess we were both pretty stupid, huh?” 

“A little.” Keith laughed. 

He _laughed_ , and it was music to Lance's ears. The tone and weight of each breathless gasp created the soothing sound of his sweet toned giggles, mimicking the beauty and elegancy of the stringed instrument the two played. It wasn't pained this time, no- instead, it was light and doused in pure enjoyment. And- _ oh _ \- how badly Lance wanted nothing more than to cherish this moment for centuries on end. He wished to freeze time and purchase one of those adorable polaroid cameras to snap a picture of the boy's reaction, only holding onto the photo that would fill albums later on for the sole purpose of the aesthetic it would bring. Lance held an overpowering desire to lean over and kiss the boy right then and there due to the much too irresistible smile forming on his lips. 

_ And so he did.  _

 

Allowing his blunt fingernails to dig into the back of the other’s pale neck, Lance gently jerked him forward, causing the boy to flinch at the action. Fortunately for him, the boy soon grew accustomed to their close proximity after a while of sheepishly shifting his gaze from the cuban’s lips and eyes. And within a couple of seconds, Lance's desire came true.  _ Well- besides the idea of buying a polaroid.  _

 

Flesh against flesh, their lips finally met after spending plenty of obliviously love-struck years fighting with their inner doubts. There was no longer a need to pretend to own such a tense rivalry with one another, and there was definitely no need to scurry behind the tough figures within them any longer. 

 

Just a few moments ago, Keith had begun to contemplate their circumstance involving the argument, but now, there was nothing cluttering his mind other than which way he should tilt his head to grant better access into his mouth for the other. 

 

He decided it was a good time to stop before the kiss became too heated, pulling away from a stubborn lance- who only chased his lips as if they held some sort of majestic substance. Keith placed the tips of his fingers against his own lips, which prevented the boy from proceeding. He groaned in irritation, of course, but quickly adjusted himself into the driver's seat with a small huff. 

“you're a dick.” Lance muttered through an oh-so-adorable pout. 

“a dick? Why?” Keith smirked while attempting to get rid of the highly noticeable blush casting over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.  “because I pulled away like any other person would do? I'm not one of your typical one-night-stands, Lance. I'm not easy like them.” 

“Okay, first off-” A tan finger was waved in front of Keith’s eyes, twitching side to side in a denying manner.   “if we're gonna be in a relationship, I don't want to hear you mentioning my past one-nighters, alright? Especially if you're using it to refer to yourself.” 

A smug and slightly sour grin crept along Keith’s lips as he stared at him in disbelief.  “And who said we're going to be in a relationship?” 

“Well- I-I uh- I just assumed-” 

“You shouldn't assume things, Lance” 

“Oh shut up, you know you want to date me.” 

An inaudible gasp left Lance's lips as he watched the shorter begin to reach for the door handle again.  “no, wait! I was just joking!” 

“we kissed once, idiot. That doesn't mean we start dating right away, you have to make me  _ want  _ to date you.” 

The expression on the tan boy's face nearly made him laugh, it was one of bewilderment. But in all honesty, Keith may have caught the look of disappointment as well. He chewed on his lip subconsciously after exiting the car and propping himself against the door as Lance had rolled the passenger window down to continue talking to him. 

“you don't want to date me?”  Lance managed to ask with a voice laced with uncertainty, sounding unsure if he should even press it any further or not. 

“I didn't say that, necessarily..” Keith said lowly as his gaze fell anywhere  _ but  _ at the boy before him.  “But you should convince me in some way. Persuade me into liking you more than I already do.” 

And with those few words, a wave of heat had struck Lance's entirety. His hands grew clammy against the steering wheel as he blinked repeatedly.  “You like me?” 

“Oh my goodness.” Keith murmured to himself before pushing himself off of the car and beginning to walk toward the front of his house.  “Goodbye, Lance!” 

“Kogane!” lance shouted after honking his car horn in attempts to call the boy back, but he was met with nothing other than his back as he unlocked the front door. 

“god damn it..”

 

The male scoffed when Keith had the audacity to turn back and wave lazily at him before entering his home and shutting the door behind himself. And yet, there was Lance's heart; beating and drumming against his rib cage at the innocent action.  _ Such a soft idiot,  _ Lance thought to himself. 

 

And there was no doubt that he was, indeed, a soft idiot. But he was a soft idiot for only one specific individual, that being Keith or course. This being proven through a message the mullet-haired boy had received later that night. For starters, the text was sent through an old online chat room the two boys had utilized as their only other way of communication at the beginning of their childhood friendship. Keith hated using the application due to its exhaustingly slow loading time, but he really couldn't complain too much since he hasn't given the boy his phone number. 

 

So for now, he would have to suffer the consequences of not doing so. Keith grunted tiredly as he wallowed himself beneath the thick covers of his duvet. After earning an earful of apologies and slightly angered comebacks from his old brother, the boy had simply changed out of his school clothes and jumped straight into bed, only to be met with an unfamiliar notification from the app. 

A half smile had slowly stretched upon his lips as he stared at the message, reading it within the privacy of his head before repeating it aloud for no one in particular. 

 

**_Th3_Blu3_Li0n: i know u like me either way but i guess u can meet me by my car after school tomorrow 4 a surprise :) ♡_ **

 

“stupid.” Keith chuckled before replying with a dull answer to hopefully get some sort of reaction of the boy. 

 

**_the_red_lion: k._ **

 

Which it did, quite well actually. Keith could nearly see the bewilderment and furious reaction through the way the other boy was typing. He laughed obnoxiously at his replies before deciding it was getting late and concluded their conversation with a final good night.

He stared blankly at his ceiling that was littered with glow-in-the-dark stars as he began questioning himself and his future plans as always. But unlike usual, instead of imagining himself living his life alone, he pictured Lance by his side. And this time,

 

It  _ wasn't _ such a horrible idea. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
